


One In A Million

by ErinHoltzmann



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:11:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2818292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinHoltzmann/pseuds/ErinHoltzmann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finally, Steve decided to break the silence. “So, Bucky, what brings you here?” he asked.</p><p>Bucky shrugged. “Well, it’s Christmas, right?” he pointed out. “And you should spend Christmas with the people you care about.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	One In A Million

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jasonptodd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasonptodd/gifts).



> This is another fanfic I wrote as a Christmas present.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was very strict in its holiday policy, or, as Director Fury liked to point out: “Evil doesn’t go on holiday.” Steven didn’t mind all that much because he had never seen the use in celebrating something because your calendar or wallchart said you should.

There was just one holiday which was sacred to him: Christmas. This had been his favourite time of the year when he had been a child living in Brooklyn: the streets covered in snow, filled with excited children, “White Christmas” being a new song. Now it hardly ever snowed on Christmas and the streets were too dangerous for children to play outside and “White Christmas” was 72 years old. Truth be told, Christmas didn’t hold the same charm for Steve as it used to.

On Christmas Eve, Steve sat alone in his apartment when there was a knock at the door. Grudgingly, he stood up to open. He would have loved to ignore his visitor, but this was not the way he had been brought up, and manners demanded of him he’d answer.

Steve was greeted by the face of an old friend to whom he’d lost contact after bringing him back from being brainwashed by Hydra: Bucky. After capturing and interrogating him for a long three months, S.H.I.E.L.D. had managed to reverse the process set in motion by Hydra, and Bucky was no longer their mindless slave. But, nevertheless, he and Steve had lost contact due to the fact that Steve was often too busy fighting to save the world and Bucky had been downgraded to the status of civilian because he wasn’t trustworthy enough to be involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. Steve was therefore more than a little bit surprised to see his former friend standing on his doorstep.

“Bucky!” he exclaimed.

“Hello, Steve,” Bucky replied, sounding almost cheerful. “Merry Christmas.” He held out his hand and offered Steve a bottle of champagne he had been holding. “Can I come in?”

“Yes, sure,” Steve said and pushed the door open all the way after checking his memory for what Director Fury had said about Bucky. He was almost 78% sure he was allowed to talk to and be visited by him.

Bucky stepped inside and took off his jacket and woollen hat. “It’s quite cold outside,” he remarked.

“Is it?” Steve asked. “I haven’t really noticed.”

After this brief exchange the conversation froze and they stared at each other for a long few moments before Steve found his manners again.

“Can I offer you anything to drink?” he asked.

“A glass of this champagne would be nice,” Bucky shrugged and picked up the bottle he had put on the floor so he’d be able to undress.

Steve took it and went into the kitchen where he filled two glasses with the sparkling liquid. Bucky, who had followed him, stood awkwardly by the door, not sure if he was allowed to come closer.

“Shall we go and sit down in the living room then?” Steve asked at last.

Bucky followed him into a modern living room which even had a flat screen TV which Steve avoided using because there were simply too many channels and watching some of them almost made him lose his faith in humanity. Steve sat down on a long leather sofa and Bucky on an armchair opposite him. One glass of champagne was passed to him, before the silence crept in again.

Finally, Steve decided to break it. “So, Bucky, what brings you here?” he asked.

Bucky shrugged. “Well, it’s Christmas, right?” he pointed out. “And you should spend Christmas with the people you care about.”

Steve lowered his gaze and pretended to be observing the bubbles in his champagne glass. It had never occurred to him he could go and visit Bucky, despite him not having any other friends in the city. But Bucky had taken the time to find out where Steve was living and had brought him a present, even though he had been through hell and back.

“So what have you been doing these past couple of months?” Steve finally asked.

Bucky shrugged again. “Not much,” he answered. “I’ve been trying to find a job, but it’s not so easy in these times we’re forced to live in now. But I heard you’re doing quite well for yourself.”

Steve still wasn’t looking at Bucky when he said, “Well, it’s mostly paperwork.”

“No, it’s not,” Bucky objected. “I’ve seen you on TV many times; you are saving the world about once a week.”

Steve couldn’t help himself – he had to look up to smile at Bucky only to see real admiration written all over his face. Then the mood in the room suddenly changed.

“I’m sorry, Bucky,” Steve confessed, “I’m sorry for ignoring you all these months; I could blame it on S.H.I.E.L.D., but this would be unfair to both of us. The real reason for me not talking to you is that I was scared you wouldn’t be the same after what you’ve been through, and I couldn’t live with myself because it was all my fault.” He paused, but Bucky just looked at him expectantly. “But you haven’t changed at all and I don’t know why.”

“Because I had one thought which kept me going,” Bucky said with the tiniest of shrugs. He suddenly got up from his armchair and walked over to Steve, so he was right next to him.

“This thought is you,” he confessed before kissing Steve softly.

And Steve’s bad conscience and his regret were replaced with wonderful relief and the feeling of being home. 


End file.
